Santi Luca e Martina, 228 AD, Rome, Italy

The church was initially dedicated to Saint Martina, martyred in 228 AD during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus. In 625 Pope Honorius I commissioned construction of the church. Restored first in 1256 during the reign of Pope Alexander IV, it was a simple rectangular structure surrounded on three sides by other constructions until it was rebuilt by the painter and architect, Pietro da Cortona, in the seventeenth century.

The plan of the upper church is almost a Greek cross with nearly equal arms and the center is crowned by the dome. Large Ionic columns, supporting a large entablature, band around the crossing and inhabit the wall spaces of the apsidal transepts, choir and nave. The windows in the apsidal vaults are each surmounted by a split pediment with a head in a scallop shell with octagonal coffering above, motifs which Cortona used in his fresco painting. However, apart from the altarpieces, the interior is white stucco, built for the painting academy in Rome and by a painter who had decorated some of the most opulent church vaults in Rome such as Santa Maria in Vallicella. The interior dome decoration has been attributed to Cortona's pupil and collaborator, Ciro Ferri; ribs and coffering are combined as they are at Santa Maria della Pace but here the forms of the coffering are far more fluid and almost shimmer with movement.

Two stairways from the upper church lead down to the lower church that has a corridor connecting to an octagonal chapel directly below the dome of the upper church and the chapel of Santa Martina below the high altar. A circular opening in the vault of the octagonal chapel allows a view through up to the dome of the upper church. In contrast to the white spatial expansiveness of the upper church, the lower church, and particularly the chapel of Santa Martina, is richly decorated with color, marbles, gilt bronze and has relatively low vaults. In the Chapel of Santa Martina, the Ionic columns in the corners have been placed on the diagonal, giving the chapel some orthogonal tensions in the center of the altar to S. Martina.

The gentle curvature of the façade is contained by a double story of paired pilasters. The columns of the ground story are pressed into the wall rather than projecting as a spatial entity like the entrance portico at Santa Maria della Pace. Other elements such as pediments and moldings allow the columns to create spatial tensions

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

City Gates of Verona, Italy

The city in Italy, Verona, has deep roots in Italian history. Located in northern Italy’s Veneto region, the old, medieval town was built along the Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet." The city is also known for its many gates which served their function during medieval times.

Porta Palio

Porta Palio is a gate or portal of the former outer walls of the medieval city. The gate was designed and built by Michele Sanmicheli during 1550–1561.  He never saw the completed project because he died in 1559. Other projects of his were Porta Nuova and Porta San Zeno, both examples of the Renaissance time and style.

The purpose of the gate was to combine the demands for protection with a Renaissance architectural piece. The robust Doric Columns give the structure elegance and convey strength with roman influences.  The facades of the door are different from each other- the one towards the city is somber while the other is elaborate to welcome those entering the town. The site previously had a medieval portal, called the Palio gate.

Arco dei Gavi

The Arco dei Gavi is another gate in Verona.  It was commissioned by the gens Gavia, a noble Roman family, and designed by architect L. Vitruvious Cerdo in First Century AD. It stood at the beginning of the Via Postumia, the Roman road leading to the city. During the Middle Ages it was used as a gate in the walls and the city’s council used it as an entrance when it was decided to surround Verona with a line of walls.

During the Napoleons rule in Italy, the French engineers demolished it, moved its ruins to a square, then to the Arena. Using some of the original stones, a reconstruction of the original arch was completed in 1932 based on wooden models made before it was demolished and proposed reconstruction drawings from as early as the 16th century by Palladio. The reconstruction of the Gavi Arch under Mussolini was in line with fascist Italy, exhorting Italy to identify with an Imperial Roman past. The arch was rebuilt next to Castelvecchio, not far from its original location.

Visible part of Porta Leoni

Porta Leoni  was built during the Roman rule by P. Valerius, Q. Caecilius, Q. Servilius and P. Cornelius, and restructured during imperial times. It was connected to the road which led to Bologna and Aquileia. Throughout the ages, Porta Leoni has gone by many names. The original Roman name is unknown, however, during the Middle Ages it was called Porta San Fermo, after the nearby church. In the Renaissance era, it was known as Arco di Valerio. The current name, Porta Leoni,  comes from a Roman tomb decorated with two lions (Leoni).

The gate has a square structures, with a double façade and two towers which looked towards the countryside. Now only half of the inner façade, covered with white stone in the imperial age is visible. The original decorations are all lost. The lower part is similar to that of Porta Borsar while the upper part has an exedra with twisted columns.

Porta San Giorgio was constructed between 1321 and 1324 by Cangrande I della Scala. Under Venician rule, the walls of Verona were enlarged, and this gate was rebuilt, starting in 1525 under designs of Falconetto. The work remained incomplete until 1840, when completed under Austrian rule. The part of the arch in the Renaissance style which remains is the outer wall, resembling a triumphal arch. The decoration utilizes Doric style and is decorated with shields and weapons. At one time, the gate had a moat and drawbridge. The interior passageway had slits for weapons.

Porta San Giorgio was the access from left bank of Adige River. The name derives from nearby church of San Giorgio in Braida.

Porta San Zeno was designed and built during 1542 by Sanmicheli and resembles a previous project of his, Zara in Dalmatia. The building around the gate has served as the offices of the Carnival of Verona

 

Porta Vescovo

Porta Vescovo was designed and built during 1520 by the architect Teodoro Trivulzio. It is named Vescovo, because the gate once collected a toll benefitting the bishop.

The external façade of the central arch is decorated with marble with a form resembling an ancient Roman triumphant arch. In the mid-19th-century, barracks, an arsenal, and pedestrian entry points were added. The structure stands near Verona Porta Vescovo Railway Station.

Porta Borsari

Porta Borsari dates to the 1st century AD, though it was most likely built over a pre-existing gate from the 1st century BC.

The gate's Roman name was Porta Iovia, as it was located near a small temple dedicated to Jupiter.  In the Middle Ages it was called Porta di San Zeno.

The façade, in local white limestone, has two arches flanked by semi-columns with Corinthian capitals which supports entablature and pediment. In the upper part is a two-floor wall with twelve arched windows, some of which are included in small niches with triangular pediment.

Sources: 

1: http://www.turismoverona.eu/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=36954

Santa Maria degli Angeli, Rome, Italy, 1563

From the statue of David to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti is perhaps the most well-known Italian in history. Through his works he was able to impose change in culture, in the art world, and in the course of history. It is evident that he exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western Art, therefore it is necessary to study his works of art, including one of his churches in Rome: Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, better known by its shorter name – Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri 20th-century entrance.

Santa Maria degli Angeli is a unique Renaissance church located in Rome, Italy. Designed by Michelangelo and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to the angels, and to the Christian slaves who perished while building these structures, the church was built within the Roman walls of the Baths of Diocletian.1 In fact, it is one of the three buildings left within these walls (other two being the Museo Nazionale and the Octagonal Hall or Aula Ottagona).   

Pope Pius IV, who reconvened and concluded the Council of Trent, entrusted Michelangelo, who at the time (1563) was working at St. Peter’s Basilica, to transform the Thermal Baths into a church.2 Still, Michelangelo placed special thought when designing the transept of the new church. The transept is so dominant, that the effect is essentially that of a transverse nave. He created a Greek cross design leaving unaltered several right-angle frames, the vestibule and the chancel. Consequently, there were three entrances: two on each side of the transept and one towards the exedra. Unfortunately, the following year, at the age of 88, Michelangelo passed away; but his works were immediately continued and completed by Jacopo Lo Duca.1

Plan of Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli illustrating dominating transept.

Today, when visiting this minor Basilica, one would automatically be dazed as the exterior has a unique surface for a church, since its outer walls consist in part of the brick of the Baths of Diocletian. However, due to the addition of the modern façade by Bazzani in the 20^th century, some may say the façade takes away from the simplicity of the church.

The interior is the true gem of this structure. Within the church, it is easier to appreciate the grandeur in which the Romans built, which can be seen in the size in which the imperial baths were built. The great vaulted transept also gives a striking display of the magnificent scale of Roman construction, being almost 300 feet long, and with the risen floors, over 90 feet high. With the many additions to the basilica throughout time, the basilica now has new bronze doors by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj as well as a statue of John the Baptist by him. There is also the 5-meter high bronze statue of Galileo Galilei Divine Man, designed by Tsung-Dao Lee, that was donated to the church in 2010.

Grandeur scale of the interior of the Santa Maria deli Angeli.

Moreover, an interesting addition to the church, that has awed many of those who visit, would be the meridian line.  At the beginning of the 18^th century, Pope Clement XI appointed the mathematician, astronomer, archaeologist, historian and philosopher, Francesco Bianchini, to build a meridian line that would function as a sort of sundial within the basilica. The line is laid down along the meridian that crosses through Rome, at latitude 15º.1 Through a small hole in the ceiling, light penetrates the church and casts its light on this line. The reason behind the meridian line, per the pope, was to produce a tool that would predict Easter precisely and check the accuracy of the Gregorian reformation of the calendar. He also wanted to give Rome a meridian line just as important as the one built in Bologna’s cathedral by Giovanni Domenico Cassini; which according to Alan Cook, was accomplished: “The disposition, the stability and the precision are much better than those of the famous meridian… in Bologna.”3

Angles depicting the entry of light and its location on the meridian line.

The meridian line located inside Santa Maria degli Angeli.

This church has been altered in many ways since its design. Almost every few years there have been multiple additions to the church, whether it be a sculpture, a painting, a chapel or even another resting body during burial ceremonies. After the wedding of the Prince of Naples, the status of Santa Maria degli Angeli ascended, and has since been the scene of religious ceremonies promoted by the Italian state.1 Then in 1920, the church was given the status minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV. Today, Santa Maria degli Angeli is served by diocesan clergy and functions as a parish church.1

                           

1 "Santa Maria Degli Angeli E Dei Martiri, Rome." Sacred Destinations. Sacred Destinations, n.d. Web.

2 "Santa Maria Degli Angeli Roma: Project of Michelangelo." Santa Maria Degli Angeli Roma. Santa Maria Degli Angeli Roma, n.d. Web.

3 Cook, Alan. "A Roman Tercentenary: Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London." A Roman Tercentenary 56 (2002): 273. Print.